


Unstoppable Force Meets Immovable Object

by 07536832



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: AU Riverdale, But Plenty of Fluff to Even it Out, Caring Cheryl, Decent Amount of Angst, F/F, IsuCKATTAGGING, Medical Condition, MoreAccurateTagsToCome, OtherRiverdaleCharactersIncluded, PoorFourCentricInsteadofCoreFour, Protective Toni, Strangers to Lovers, multi-chapter fic, sorrynotsorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-11-10 20:07:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20857502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/07536832/pseuds/07536832
Summary: AU-ish?A Riverdale in which Toni and Cheryl meet before they go to school together and are immediately smitten upon meeting. A lot of the dumb stuff that happened in Riverdale I took out, so it's AU. But it's gonna be full of Choni content!Sorry I really can't summarize guys. Thesis statements and conclusions were always my weak point :/ Please give it a read.





	Unstoppable Force Meets Immovable Object

**Author's Note:**

> WHAT'S UP Y'ALL. THIS IS MY FIRST CHONI FIC I'VE WRITTEN AND POSTED WHILE COMPLETELY SOBER! (CAN I GET A WOOT WOOT?!)
> 
> BEFOR--ahem-- excuse me, I don't mean to yell.
> 
> Before reading there are a few key differences between my story's version of Riverdale and the actual TV version that I need you to know.  
1) Jughead was born and raised on the Southside and as a Serpent...so he is not a part of the core-four but instead a member of the poor-four [self-explanatory]  
2) The Blossom drug empire is not a thing...Clifford and Penelope are just your run-of-the-mill asshole parents [both still sucking down air, unfortunately]  
3) Jason never died! He's aliiiiive  
All other differences will be explained throughout the story
> 
> So without further ado...

Sitting lightly on the edge of her bed, Toni Topaz felt her bare feet graze the carpet beneath them.

She held a beaten guitar in her lap and strummed it absentmindedly, humming nothing in particular as her mind drifted.

Just a few hours ago the students of Southside High were informed that the school would be shut down permanently due to the toxic fumes coming from the drug lab in the basement. 

It was only a little over a month into the new school year but apparently, over the summer some Riverdale kingpin decided to use the basement of Southside High as his base of operations.

The news of the school closing was met with excited cheers from the student body but the joyful applause was short-lived. The rambunctious crowd fell silent at the revelation they would be sent to neighboring high schools; Riverdale High being one of them. Sounds of protest quickly arose after that announcement. Serpents and Ghoulies alike made their feelings of distaste known. 

Toni was one of the few who kept their opinions to themselves while the rest of the crowd got riled up. With her arms crossed over her chest, Toni contemplated what this meant for the teen-aged Serpents and more importantly, what it meant for her. 

Lately, Toni had begun to wonder about her future and what it held. Despite her love for the Serpents, she found herself wanting more out of life than just hanging out at the trailer park and running morally questionable ‘errands’ for them.

She wanted to graduate high school and go to college. She wanted to work a job she loved and come home to someone she loved even more. 

The Serpents had been good to her; provided her with a sense of family and community, even after the death of her parents. But she couldn't help wanting more out of life.

“Emergency meeting in an hour at the Wyrm,” a calm voice had spoken to her left. Her eyes drifted over to the beanie-wearing teen and she nodded once in affirmation with her lips drawn tightly together. Should be interesting.

Jughead Jones, the interim leader of the Serpents, called for a meeting at the Whyte Wyrm to discuss the changes. There was an air of defiance during the meeting, Toni had noticed, mainly coming from the Serpents who were being sent to Riverdale High. Toni was included among those being forced onto the Northside along with Jughead, Fangs, Sweet Pea and several others. 

Jughead had made it abundantly clear that the Serpents were not permitted to rebel in the hallways of Riverdale High School just for the sake of causing destruction. 

“No Serpent is permitted to wreak havoc in the halls of their new school,” he bellowed, standing on the bar above everyone in the Wyrm. Shouts of anger and disapproval sounded from around the room in a cacophony of noise. 

“That’s bullshit, Jones!”

“You’re not our leader!”

“We won’t bow down to those Northsider scum!”

“Enough,” Jughead interrupted, his eyes blazing in an uncharacteristic display of anger. “I _ am _your leader!” Jughead jumped down from the bar, his feet connecting with the sticky floor of the Wyrm harshly, punctuating his sentence. “Or have you forgotten that I was chosen to take on this role when my father was arrested?”

Jughead took a few slow steps forward, hard eyes scanning the Serpents standing before him, daring one of them to disagree. 

“He chose you because you’re his son,” a gruff voice rang out, “not because you’re fit to lead.”

Jughead’s eyes zero in on Tall Boy, the man with the objection. 

“Is that what you think, Tall Boy,” he nearly spat. Tall Boy nodded and grunted. “Anybody else share Tall Boy’s opinion?” 

There were several murmurs of agreement coming from Serpents around the room. 

Jughead continued his slow walk around the bar as he spoke his next thoughts.

“If you honestly believe that my father, the man who has successfully led you for _ years _, made this decision based solely on hereditary…” He paused briefly, staring down Tall Boy, “then you don’t know him as well as you think.” 

Tall Boy bristled. “FP handed yo—”

“HE HANDED ME NOTHING,” the young Serpent roared. “I earned my place in this gang, same as everybody else! I was beaten to within an inch of my life when I was initiated, just like everyone else! I have played the messenger, the delivery boy, the lookout, the muscle,” he listed off his duties as a Serpent. “And I have worked endlessly to keep a full out war from erupting with Ghoulies long before my father ever went to prison. I have put in my time and I have damn well _ earned _my position with the Serpents.”

A few Serpents had the sense to look chastised at Jughead’s outburst but there was still a challenging glint in Tall Boy’s eyes.

Jughead suddenly leaped up onto a mangled old chair and stepped onto an equally mangled table that had definitely seen better days.

“Any Serpent who doubts me doubts my father. You doubt his leadership and his decisions,” he announced with finality in his tone. “Trust in your Serpent King while he is behind bars! I may be leading now but have _ no doubt _my father will return and take his rightful place as the head of the Serpents.” 

Jughead stared hard into the eyes of each Serpent, needing to know they understood his words. 

“My father is our king for a reason. He sacrificed himself so that you all,” he scanned the room once more, “could remain free.”

Nearly all the Serpents in the room bowed their heads in respect, recognizing the truth in what Jughead said. 

“Does that sound like the actions of a man who would name his son his successor for vain and selfish reasons? Why would he go to such extreme lengths to keep the Serpents safe, only to pass the baton to someone he felt couldn’t handle it?” Jughead pulled his beanie off his head and ran a hand through his messy locks before replacing it. 

“My father, our Serpent King wouldn’t do that. You need to trust in him and trust in me. I can lead us through these challenging times but I need your trust.”

That time murmurs of approval spread throughout the Wyrm, nods and verbal confirmations sounded from every Serpent except one. Tall Boy just stood back and watched with a look of disgust etched on his face. 

“In unity there is strength!” Jughead shouted and was met with the same chant in return.

“In unity there is strength!” 

“Now back to business Serpents!” Jughead clapped his hands together and started back in on his expectations of the teenaged Serpents. 

* * *

Toni sighed softly while continuing to pluck rhythmically at her guitar strings. 

Jughead has been one of her closest friends since they were kids. They grew up together, trailers practically next door to each other. In elementary school her, Jughead, Sweet Pea and Fangs had been inseparable and even to this day they all remain best friends. Since FP was arrested a couple of months ago though, Toni hasn’t seen Jughead around as much but understood his duties as a leader come first. 

The pink-haired Serpent has been pleasantly surprised by Jughead’s leadership. He seems to want to make the Serpents into what they once were, a family who protected their land and each other. He wants the Serpents out of the drug-dealing business, among other distasteful things, and Toni found herself excited at the prospect. 

Her grandfather always talked about the old Serpents, the original founders in which he was a part of. The way he spoke of the sense of belonging and community and safety, and shit even just the general morals of the old gang, left her with a yearning to be apart of something like that.

Don’t get her wrong, Toni loves the Serpents but some of the things they’ve done make her sick to her stomach. The pink-haired girl isn’t naive, she knows that a lot of what they’ve been forced to do was out of necessity, like dealing drugs on the corner in order to keep the lights on in the trailer park, but much of the violence that goes on between the Ghoulies and the Serpents she wished she could avoid. 

Ghoulies and Serpents have been rival gangs for as far back as she can remember, but only in the last few years has it gotten out of hand. Ambushes, kidnappings, even a couple of murders. 

Just last week Toni was walking back from a convenience store located only a couple blocks from the trailer park when two Ghoulies jumped her, not even fifty feet from the store. Thankfully they didn’t have their infamous bats hanging off their shoulders and Toni was able to hold her own in a round of fisticuffs, getting away with just a few cuts, a split lip and a couple bruised ribs. 

The young Serpent inhaled deeply and let it out slowly, hands stilling the guitar before standing up to put it back in the case. She closed the case with the utmost care and easily slid it back under her bed for safekeeping. 

Toni dragged her feet along the worn carpet of her room to the full-length mirror fastened to her wall. 

That mirror had seen better days. 

It was covered in stickers from her childhood, as well as scratches and a crudely drawn picture of a penis, courtesy of a twelve-year-old Sweat Pea. But it also held in childish scrawl her name and the names of her best friends. Toni smiled at the memory before checking her face in the mirror. The small cuts on her cheek were completely gone and only a small scab remained on her lip as a reminder of her run-in with the Ghoulies several days ago. 

Toni hoped it would be gone by Monday, her official first day at Riverdale Hi—

Toni saw her bedroom door fly open behind her in the mirror. Then she heard the loud bang of it being slammed into the thin wall behind it.

That was going to leave a hole.

A small blur darted from the doorway and disappeared from the mirror view.

The pink-haired Serpent rolled her eyes and fought a smile when she heard the familiar sound of her bed springs creaking under a new weight and turned to face the intruder with mock seriousness. 

"What's the rule about doors?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at the bundle of energy that was bouncing up and down on her bed. 

"Open them...carefully," came the out of breath reply as the energetic six year old bounced even higher on the bed. 

Toni rolled her eyes again and made her way over to the little boy whose brown irises matched her own, no longer bothering to hide her smile.

She came to a full stop in front of her bed and quickly noticed the dirt-caked shoes bouncing around on her sheets. In one swift movement, she grabbed the boy’s legs in mid-air and yanked them out from under him, causing him to fall squarely on his ass. 

The boy giggled as he lightly bounced a couple more times before coming to a complete halt.

"And what's the rule about shoes on the furniture," Toni inquired, slightly more serious because damn, she just cleaned her sheets yesterday.

The boy raised his shoulders to his ears and sheepishly replied, “No shoes on the furniture. Sorry, Toni.” 

Toni figured he looked appropriately chastised and chose to ease up.

She pulled at the heels of his shoes to remove them from his feet and dropped them haphazardly to the floor. 

She was going to have to rewash the sheets. Damn.

“So what’s got you all riled up little man,” she questioned. Toni could the see the excitement shining in little brown orbs as the boy began bouncing again on the bed, thankfully without shoes this time. 

This was why her bed was fucked up. This was why random springs clawed at the surface when she slept.

But Toni couldn't bring herself to care, watching the boy hop giddily on the bed. It was absolutely worth sleeping on a mattress that threatened to shank her every night.

“Ms. Gilmore…” he breathed between jumps, “got us a hamster today! His name… is Fluffy.” 

Toni grinned largely at his enthusiasm and waited for him to continue.

“He’s orange and super soft,” the boy panted, clearly overexcited and breathless as he lost his balance and bounced dangerously close to the wall. 

Yet another hole waiting to happen. 

“And the bestest part… we all get a turn with him!”

Toni screwed up her face in confusion, not fully understanding.

“What do you mean by ‘a turn with him?’”

The six year old slowed his bouncing, whether it was fatigue or the coming explanation, Toni wasn't sure but she was glad. The unnatural noises coming from her bed indicated it had just about as much as it could handle. 

He plopped down, his dark curly hair bobbing slightly with the dip of the mattress as he rushed out, “We get to take him home on the weekends! Ms. Gilmore says every weekend someone gets to take him home! You just sign the paper and I get to keep him!”

He dug into his pocket and pulled out a sheet of paper. It was damn near wrinkled beyond recognition when he handed it to Toni. 

The Serpent unfolded it, trying to ignore the boy’s hopeful eyes, and read the print.

It was straight-forward, basically stating that the student is allowed the class pet for the weekend as long as they’re supervised (housing and food would be provided). Toni was about to sign the slip, when three tiny pesky words caught her attention under the dotted line.

_ Parent/Guardian Signature _

She looked up at the little boy who was practically vibrating on her bed in excitement and her heart dropped. She was neither of those things. 

“Joseph,” a deep voice sounded from her doorway. Toni whipped her head around and saw Thomas Topaz standing in the threshold. “Leave your sister alone for a minute and go play outside with the other kids,” he suggested. 

Joseph grinned at Toni one final time before bouncing off the bed and dashing toward the front of the trailer, but Toni stopped him with a shout.

“Joey!”

He reappeared in the room a few seconds later.

“Shoes,” the pink-haired girl insisted, eyeing his shoes at the foot of her bed where they were discarded.

Joey dropped to the floor and pulled his shoes carelessly onto his feet then darted out of the room just as quickly as he entered a few minutes ago. 

“Did you see this?”

Thomas nodded his head in acknowledgment to the permission slip Toni held in her hand.

Toni groaned and ran her fingers through her pink locks, “Guess I’m going to have to talk to Uncle John.”

* * *

Toni pulled up to the familiar barn-like building and took in the big sign on the awning signaling she’d arrived. _ Whyte Wyrm _was displayed in dirty grey lettering along with a fierce-looking serpent, its yellow eyes wide with intimidating fangs on display. 

Toni found a spot near the door, thankful that the bar wasn't too crowded yet, even though the five o’clock crowd should arrive any minute. She turned off her motorcycle, kicked down the stand and removed her helmet, all in a well-practiced motion.

The pink-haired girl hung her helmet on a handlebar and started towards the doors. 

As soon as she stepped past the threshold, the stench of booze and cigarettes assaulted her nostrils. She glanced around the hazy bar in search of her uncle, hoping that he was awake by now. 

The young Serpent knew the best time to catch him was in the evening after he’s had the entire day to sleep off his hangover. 

Her Uncle John rarely ever made it back to the trailer anymore. Instead, he opted to get completely plastered at the Wyrm every night and subsequently passed out on a bar stool until Hog Eye decided to drag his ass to the office in the back, letting the drunken man sleep it off on the worn-out couch. 

Even though Hog Eye was known for his rough exterior, Toni knew he had a soft spot for her and her brother. 

Hog Eye was one of her father’s closest friends when he was still alive, so he always tried to look after them when he could. 

Unfortunately for the bar owner, allowing Toni's uncle to crash in the bar practically every night was a way he looked out for her. 

It was fairly common knowledge that John became a drunkard after the death of his brother and that he wasn’t the best choice in guardians for a young Toni and her baby brother all those years ago. 

Sadly, Thomas Topaz was too old and in bad health to care for two growing children, leaving John as the only family left that the courts would approve of…

What a fucking joke.

John Topaz's stomach regularly consisted of more alcohol than food and his lungs were much more accustomed to cigarette smoke than fresh air. 

The man was a stumbling, slurring cliche of an unfit guardian. 

Once Hog Eye caught onto that though, he began handling John differently. Instead of getting into shouting matches with him and kicking him from the bar, only to go home and take his frustrations out on Toni, he started to let him drink himself into a stupor. 

Despite having to watch his former friend essentially dig his own grave, Hog Eye knew he couldn’t let Toni and Joey suffer through his ministrations. He stoically allowed the man to barge into his bar every night, order drinks he knew he couldn’t pay for and let him slip into oblivion.

Toni spied Hog Eye at the far end of the bar when she ventured further inside, their eyes connected for a brief moment before the older Serpent jerked his head to the left, indicating where Toni could find her intoxicated uncle.

She nodded her thanks to the man and pulled her jacket tighter around her torso. Toni made her way to the slouched figure sitting at the end of the worn bar, his demeanor making it obvious that he was already three sheets to the wind. 

When Toni arrived at her destination, John didn’t look up. Toni wasn’t sure if it was because he was ignoring her or if he was just that wasted, but either way, she wanted the interaction to be over with quickly. 

“Uncle John,” she grimaced, the stench coming from him an entirely different beast than the usual stink of the Wyrm.

John’s glazed over eyes dragged up to meet Toni’s. His slack face instantly pulled taut, a sneer pulling at his features. 

He looked like microwaved shit. Even in the dimly lit bar, the pink-haired girl saw the dark bags underneath his bloodshot eyes and the unkempt beard that was begging for trim. 

Despite her own personal feelings for the man, Toni couldn't stop herself from feeling bad for him. John had been through some seriously traumatic shit. She couldn't imagine losing her own brother in the way that John had. 

It was the epitome of sympathy for the devil, but it was sympathy nonetheless.

“What the hell do you want, Antoniette?” John’s voice was harsh and full of malice.

Like a switch was flipped, her sympathy was gone and in its place a quiet fury took up residence.

Toni was used to his harsh tone; always razor-sharp and pointed in her direction, wanting to draw blood and inflict as much damage as possible. 

She pretty much expected it every time they spoke but the expectation did nothing to dull the outrage. 

Toni held her breath, trying to simultaneously ignore the anger and the foul odor that wafted from his lips.

The younger Serpent dug into her jacket pocket and produced the crumpled up sheet of paper and placed it in front of her uncle. 

His eyes never left Toni’s as he grunted, “What’s that?” He tilted his beer in the direction Toni laid the paper and a few drops of the brown liquid splashed dangerously close to the sheet.

“It’s a permission slip from Joey’s school. It needs a parent or guardian signature.”

John guffawed loudly, drawing the attention of a few nearby patrons. Apparently he recognized the irony of the situation as well.

He settled after a moment and took a huge swig of his beer while snatching the paper from the worn wood. 

Toni stood there silently hoping her uncle wouldn't read it, hoping that he'd just sign it and toss it back at her.

But like all four-letter words, _ hope _was a terrible, regrettable thing. 

“A fucking hampster?!”

The pink-haired girl cringed internally but made no outward moves. 

“You want to bring vermin into my home?!”

It took all of Toni’s willpower to not point out the hypocrisy in his reaction. 

She forced herself to swallow the words bubbling up inside her, the words that could easily spill over and say that the trailer was a disgusting dump back when he was living there regularly. 

The words that could spill over and concede to finding roaches and spiders in all areas of the mobile home, and on two occasions actual rats.

But most of all, Toni wanted to point out that he was rarely ever home anyway! If Joey took the class pet home for one weekend every couple of months it wouldn’t affect him in the slightest. He'd probably never even notice! 

But of course, Toni didn’t say that. She couldn’t. 

John crumpled the paper up and tossed it over the bar, somehow managing to land it in a sink full of soapy water. 

The glare on Toni’s face went unnoticed by her uncle because he brought his drink to his lips and finished it off quickly. He slammed it down hard enough to threaten to shatter the glass and stared behind the bar, waiting for Hog Eye to see him.

“I’ve already got two fucking rodents living under my roof,” he signaled for another beer when Hog Eye glanced his way. John cut his red eyes over to Toni sharply. “I don’t need another.” 

With that he turned his back to Toni, effectively dismissing her and Toni didn't hesitate to leave.

The pink-haired girl was afraid if she stayed she would end up in a physical altercation with her uncle and that was the last thing she needed.

So she forced down her hatred and spun on her heel, marching back towards the entrance. She made it outside into the cool air and jumped on her bike. 

When she pulled out onto the uneven streets she decided not to head back just yet. Her anger at her uncle was still pulsing hotly through her veins and she needed some time to cool off. 

With no particular destination in mind, Toni peeled onto the main street and gunned it. Her fury pushed her to ride faster than she should have but she didn't care. The anger she felt towards her uncle was burning through her veins and the only thing she could think to do was grip the throttle tighter and push for more speed.

* * *

After about an hour of wandering aimlessly through Riverdale Toni figured she'd cooled down enough to head back to the trailer park and break the news to Joey. 

The whole ride back Toni just kept imagining her brother's face when she'd tell him the verdict. Those brown eyes swimming with disappointment and his little face scrunched up into a pout. She hoped he wouldn’t cry. God, how she hated to see him cry. She definitely wasn't looking forward to the conversation. 

* * *

Toni made it back to Sunnyside and collected Joey from their grandfather's. They walked slowly back to their trailer, stopping to say hi to a few loitering Serpents along the way. When they finally made it back to their small part of the trailer park Toni took Joey inside and sat him down at the small kitchen table. 

“Hey buddy,” she began, unsure of how to broach the subject. “I went to the Wyrm earlier to talk to Uncle John about Fluffy.”

Excitement quickly took over the boy’s tanned features as he sat up straighter with an eager look on his face. 

Toni’s heart nearly broke at his expression. She knew it would be short-lived. 

“We talked about it but he decided it wouldn’t be a good idea to bring Fluffy home on the weekends.” Toni severely watered-down the actual version of how that conversation went for her brother’s sake. 

Joey knew that their uncle was a terrible person. Hell, he’d witnessed and lived through it himself but Toni felt no need to relay his exact wording. Just the gist would be fine.

The pink-haired girl’s instincts were right and upon her revelation, Joey’s excitement crumbled and pure heartbreak took its place.

“But w-why?” The boy stuttered and stumbled over his words, his distress over the situation clearly getting to him. “I-I can look after F-fluffy. It’s easy. Mrs. Gilmore sa-said so.”

Toni couldn’t stand the sight of tears welling in his brown orbs or the tremble of his chin. She stood up and pulled him into a tight hug.

Joey's arms wrapped around her waist immediately as he pressed his head against Toni’s stomach.

“I c-can do it. It-it’s easy,” he hiccuped.

Toni shushed him gently, holding a little tighter, “I know buddy. I know.”

At that moment Toni had half a mind to just forge the signature, after all, it's supposed to be easier to ask for forgiveness than beg for permission. And for a split second she even considered going out and buying Joey his very own hamster. 

She would do just about anything to cheer him up and take away his sadness. 

But the thought of their uncle somehow finding out (no matter how slim a chance it was) was more than enough to nip that thought right in the bud before it could grow to fruition. 

The potential consequences of a move like that far outweighed the current emotional state of her baby brother. 

He’d eventually get over it, Toni knew that for a fact, but it didn’t lessen the pain she felt at seeing her brother so upset.

“Hey,” Toni blurted as another idea of how to cheer her brother up popped into her head. “Wanna go see and play with a bunch of animals tomorrow?”

Toni carefully pulled back, ducking her head to catch Joey’s gaze, the unshed tears still shining in his eyes.

“The Riverdale Fall Festival starts this weekend and they have that petting zoo. Remember last year?"

Toni ran her fingers through the boy's unruly curls and smiled, "You got to play with pigs and sheep and rabbits."

Joey's eyes enlarged comically as he nodded. 

"And I heard they're bringing back the ponies too," Toni exclaimed, her smile widening at the enthusiasm her brother was exhibiting. 

Last year he wanted to ride a pony but there was a small incident involving a goat headbutting some kid so they shut the whole petting zoo down before Joey had his turn.

"Can I ride one?!" 

"Of course, dude! And we'll take a hayride and eat lots of cotton candy," Toni promised earnestly. 

Joey sniffled and wiped his eyes, the unshed tears completely disappearing from his brown orbs. "Can Uncle Sweets and Uncle Fangs come too?" 

Toni chuckled and nodded her head, "Well duh! We'll bring them along. You know Uncle Sweets can't resist festival food."

Joey beamed and Toni brought her lips down to the crown of his head. Relief washed through her at the six year old's change in demeanor, she was glad she could offer him some bit of happiness following the disappointing news about Fluffy, though he seemed to have completely forgotten about the class pet now. 

"Now, go wash up for dinner," Toni ordered when she fully released him from her protective grip. "You smell," she joked light-heartedly. 

Toni scrunched up her nose and playfully pushed the boy towards the bathroom. 

Joey giggled and ran down the short hallway, making a sharp right at the bathroom door.

Toni didn't see but she heard the door go crashing into the wall as he entered. 

Yet another hole.

**Author's Note:**

> We got some Choni interaction coming up in the next chapter, as well as a little surprise ;)
> 
> Lemme know what you thought of the first chapter! It's been so long since I've planned out a multi-chapter fic and I think I might be rusty.
> 
> I tweet now so hit me up! @OTP07536832
> 
> Until next time!


End file.
